by Lauren Wood
But instead, she propelled herself forward—clutching her nails into the back of my hair and pulling me in even closer to her. Her mouth kissed its way to my neck and nibbled along my ear, driving me mad with desire.
I wasn’t expecting her next move. Her hand dropped down to the bulge in my pants, which was now hard as a rock thanks to her tongue along my ear, and began rubbing me in all the best ways. I growled and was even more surprised when she took it a step further. I heard my zipper being pulled down, followed by the warm touch of her hand wrapping around my bare cock.
Then she dropped to her knees, pulling my pants down just enough to free my erection. She swirled her tongue around the tip, and it took everything in me not to growl out loud, which would surely get us caught.
“I don’t know if I can handle this,” I joked, trying to keep my voice quiet and contained.
She flashed a coy grin up at me, locking her eyes with mine, as she ran her hand down my shaft, her mouth taking me in right behind it. I closed my eyes and tensed up, doing my best not to make a sound.
Which is why I missed the flashlight and silhouette approaching from the distance. He called out, “Hey, you! You okay in there?”
Shit. A security guard from the looks of it. Vic wasn’t kidding about the park police, apparently. But she wasn’t stopping her mission to suck me off either...which only made it harder to play it off and reply.
I waved back, trying to control the steadiness of my voice. “Head of the contracting crew. Just taking a few notes.”
“At night?” he yelled back. “You need my flashlight?”
“No, no.” I suppressed an urgent moan. “I’m just about done here.”
My legs shook as she took me all the way into the back of her throat over and over again.
“Alright then.” The guard gave up and hesitantly kept walking.
The moment he was out of sight again, Victoria shot up in front of me. “I want you to fuck me. Right here. Right now.”
“What the hell has gotten into you?” I laughed. But she was already pulling her tights down to her thighs. “Good god...okay. Yes, ma’am.”
She flipped around and drew my cock to her behind, teasing it along her skin. Guiding it to her wet and open slit, she pushed back and let me slide inside painfully slow. I pulled back and pushed in again, this time as deep as I could. She began rocking into me, matching my rhythm. The faster we went, the louder her whimpers got. I ran my hand up the length of her body from behind, stopping around her neck for a moment before flattening my palm against her mouth.
I felt her clench around me and knew she was getting close. I was getting there right along with her. After a steady stream of thrusts, getting faster and faster, I convulsed through my orgasm and felt her throbbing through her own. It was impossibly good, but over too fast.
“I’m going to need more of that when we get home,” I groaned as we adjusted our clothes back to those of two people who had not just been fucking in the middle of a park.
“Which home? Yours or mine?”
“You could take me to a garbage dump at this point and I don’t think I’d care,” I quipped, jerking her body back up against mine. “I just need somewhere private to lay you down.”
“Your place,” she decided. “Let’s go.”
And just like that...we got lost in an all-night sexathon that left zero room for me to confess everything I’d intended to that night. If anything had to derail my plans...that scenario definitely wasn’t one I was going to complain about.
17
Victoria
I had every intention of telling Lucas I was pregnant, but everything felt so weird. He seemed to have something on his mind, and then somehow...we ended up having sex all night long instead of talking about anything beyond our plans to move in together. I figured, why not get in as much of it while we could before I broke the news and we were expected to stop?
The only problem was...not telling him that night meant that the other parts of our arrangement were still forging ahead at full throttle. Which included wedding planning with Camille and Jada. I was nervous about spending time with them outside of the office. I had never been close to any of Lucas’s siblings in high school or after we graduated.
But as we were now one of the featured couples for Heartstring’s publicity campaign, a few magazines had requested to follow us around while we sampled cakes and food and looked at floral arrangements. It looked good to the press to have his sisters along and to remind everyone that no matter how big their online dating app became, at the heart of the company, they were still just a family-run business.
They watched as I tried on a few dresses, which I had to smile my way through even though I knew my measurements would be majorly affected when my baby bump started coming in. But I hadn’t even divulged my pregnancy to Lucas yet. I couldn’t start blabbing about it to the readers of Vogue and Elle just yet.
After the bridal shop, florist, and bakery, my feet were throbbing and the magazine crews went their separate ways. Camille and Jada coaxed me into brunch before we called it quits. I was starving and more than happy to indulge them. Jada dragged us into a trendy cafe and the hostess quickly escorted us to a table on the patio.
“We can’t have brunch without mimosas,” Camille decided when the waitress arrived at our table. “We’ll have three, please, and keep them coming.”
“Um, actually, just water for me,” I insisted quickly, trying not to be too obvious.
But they picked up on it instantly. How could they not? A blushing bride-to-be drinks mimosas with her two future sister-in-laws. It was like a law of the universe or something.
“I’m sorry. Do you not drink or something?” Camille asked, studying me carefully. Too carefully. Like I was the missing link.
I was panicking inside, my heart pounding. How could I not have predicted this scenario and come up with some sort of plan?
“All the wedding stuff,” I lied with a shrug. “I’ve got jitters, I guess. My stomach is all in knots.”
“Alcohol will help with that,” Jada quipped.
“No, thank you.”
“Come on, Victoria. I feel like we need to get to know each other better if you and Lucas are going to keep moving forward with this thing. And apparently you are. Jada is right. Alcohol will calm your nerves and it’s the perfect lubricant for sisterly bonding.”
“I really can’t…”
But the waitress brought three mimosas anyway, despite my request. And now it was such a big deal that Camille and Jada wouldn’t stop staring at the full glass in front of me, just waiting for me to take a sip. The deeper their skeptical eyes burned into me, the more I felt like I was going to burst at the seams.
“I’m pregnant!” I blurted finally. I clenched my eyes shut, regretting the words immediately. How could I spit it out so easily to them, but not to Lucas?
When I finally could bring myself to open my eyes again, they were both staring back at me with wide, disbelieving eyes. Jada didn’t say a word and seemed to take it upon herself to drink twice as much on my behalf. She pulled my mimosa to her side of the table and downed half of it in one go.
“Is Lucas the father?” Camille ventured to ask. “I mean, no offense, I just was never really sure if I understood all the rules of your arrangement.”
“Yes, he’s the father. This was part of our bargain,” I explained, trying to ignore the slight sting of her question. “I know this is weird...but I haven’t told him yet. So if you could please keep it to yourselves for now.”
“This is huge!” Jada managed to say in between steady sips. “We’re going to be aunts. Our little niece or nephew is growing inside of you right now!”
“Why do you not seem so thrilled?” Camille puzzled.
“No, no, I am. Really, I am. I’m thrilled about the baby. The circumstances of everything...it just feels more complicated than I had expected it to is all. Jeez, I don’t know why I’m telling you two all of this. It’s a go
od thing I can’t drink or there’s no telling what I’d be confessing. Anyway, it’s what we wanted. It’s just...sooner than we expected.”
I felt my cheeks turn red hot. I was talking a mile a minute and couldn’t shut up. I didn’t know what had come over me.
Camille and Jada shot sideways glances at one another. They could tell something was off. Which was fine by me, as long as they could clue me in on what it was. Truthfully, I didn’t know why I had been so on edge and uncertain about everything. Besides the obvious...which was that having a baby and arranged marriage with your best friend as a publicity stunt was probably the worst idea ever.
“Well,” Jada said slowly, after a long, awkward silence between us. “I know our brother will be a great father. He cares about you.”
“Thanks,” I sighed.
“No, I mean...he, like, really cares for you. Does that make this whole thing weird? Him being in love with you? How do you feel about him?”
My mouth dropped right along with Camille’s. “I’m sorry...what did you just say? I think you have it wrong. Lucas and I are just friends. This doesn’t change that.”
Jada didn’t look convinced. “Unless something has changed over the years, which is doubtful judging by the way he looks at you, he’s always been in love with you. You didn’t know? I just assumed it would have come up at some point.”
“I don’t think Lucas looks at her in any certain way,” Camille argued. “You’re probably just reading too much into it.”
“Yeah,” I agreed earnestly, hoping she was right.
“Are you kidding me!?” she snapped at her sister in a scolding tone. “How did you not pick up on this? I’m not assuming anything. I read it in his own words.”
“What?” I gaped, finding it harder to breathe.
“Back in high school,” she explained. “I’m younger than him, you know, and being the typical nosy, annoying little sister, I went into his room one day and started digging around in his stuff. He had all these crumpled up papers in his trash can. I thought they were from a creative writing assignment he had been dreading and I planned on making fun of him for whatever he’d written. And it was some creative writing alright...but it had nothing to do with school.”
“Jada, what the hell are you talking about?” Camille pressed her impatiently.
“They were love letters.” She shrugged. “He kept trying to spell out his feelings for you but gave up. He never gave you a letter or a note telling you how he felt?”
“No,” I murmured in shock.
“I’m sure it was just a high school crush,” Camille suggested.
“I don’t think so.” Jada laughed. “Sounded way heavier than just some fleeting crush. And anyway, I kept watching him with you after that. He gets this look in his eye around you...one I’ve never seen him have around anyone else.”
I looked to Camille, hoping she had another denial ready to go. But she fell silent. Her face twisted in deep thought, and it seemed like she was becoming more convinced right along with Jada.
“But...no. No way,” I insisted, shaking my head. “He would have told me at some point. Do you know how many times we’ve been drunk together over the years? No way it would have never come up or he wouldn’t have tried to make a move…”
“Um...Victoria? You’re pregnant with his baby and wearing an engagement ring. I think he made his move.”
“But that’s not...this isn’t…” My words trailed off into ragged, broken breaths.
“Jesus, Jada, you’re going to give her a panic attack. You okay? You look like you’re hyperventilating.”
“I am. Just a little bit. I think.”
“I’m just as shocked as you,” Camille said, shaking her head. “I guess it makes sense, but...I never realized it either.”
“So now what?” I fretted, staring into the abyss between them like a lost puppy.
“Does this change anything?” Jada proposed. “More importantly...do you feel the same way about him?”
I shook my head, but I wasn’t sure if I was answering her question or just denying its existence. The only thing I knew for certain was that I had to get out of there. My head felt swimmy and the walls seemed to be closing in.
“Excuse me,” I blurted out, jumping up from my chair. “I need to use the restroom.”
I could still hear them talking as I marched off to the bathroom.
“Fucking Lucas. I can’t believe he never told me,” Camille fumed. “Or her, for that matter. Did you see the look on her face? She was blindsided. Poor thing.”
“I hope this doesn’t mess up their arrangement.”
“How could it not? Between two friends is one thing. But if unrequited love gets thrown into the mix...Sheesh. What a mess.”
18
Lucas
Sitting in my office, I scrolled through the recent headlines about Heartstring and me. Victoria had worked her PR magic. Seemingly overnight, I had been transformed from a playboy conman to a coveted bachelor whose heart had been stolen away and was now gearing up to throw the most talked about wedding of the season. Everyone wanted an invite, and those who couldn’t watch in person were soaking up the photos and online articles like they were crack.
Our premium memberships on the app were up by fifty percent and growing daily. Profits had skyrocketed. Everything was going perfectly...aside from all the unknowns with Victoria.
A knock on the door pulled my attention away from the computer screen to see Camille showing herself in. She shut and locked the door behind her, posing herself in front of my desk with her arms crossed.
“Uh-oh,” I groaned. “It’s never good news when you barge in here looking like that.”
“Well, maybe if you weren’t constantly giving me reasons to worry, I wouldn’t have to come in here looking like this quite so often.”
I leaned back with a sigh. “What did I do this time, little sis?”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were in love with Victoria?”
My brow furrowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Bull shit.” She shook her head, fuming, before sinking down into the seat across from me. “Jada told me you’ve been in love with her ever since high school.”
“So, I had a high school crush.” I shrugged. “Big deal.”
“It’s a big deal if your high school crush turned into a lifelong crush...who just so happens to be your fake fiancé now and the mother of your baby.”
“She’s not pregnant yet.”
Her eyes darkened and I felt my whole chest constrict. My mouth was suddenly dry and my ears started ringing. “Do you know something I don’t?”
Her only response was to nod. I couldn’t believe it. Victoria was pregnant. We’re going to have a baby!
“She told you this? You know for certain?”
“I just came from brunch with her. I wasn’t supposed to say anything, but how could I not? The secrets you two keep from each other are going to end up fucking up everyone’s lives. Everything is on the line, Lucas!”
“Victoria is a professional,” I replied, trying to remain calm. “No matter what happens between us, she’ll help me make sure it doesn’t reflect badly on the company. And anyway...I don’t need to tell her anything. Our plan is in place. She wanted a baby, so I gave her one. And she’s helping my image. Everything’s fine.”
“I wasn’t talking about the company, Lucas. I was referring to my big brother’s heart...and life. I don’t want to see you get hurt. And if you love Victoria, I’m obligated to care about her, too. I don’t want her to get hurt either.”
“Everything’s fine,” I repeated, trying to reassure myself just as much as her.
“Why did you propose this whole arrangement if you had real feelings for her? Why not just tell her how you feel and skip all the games?” she persisted.
I dropped my head, wishing I could be anywhere but here just now, being interrogated by my little sister. I felt everything inside me breakin
g down. She wasn’t going to let up until I caved and I was running out of steam to keep up the facade.
“It’s embarrassing,” I confessed reluctantly. “She deserves a real man, someone who isn’t afraid to stand up and fight for what he wants. But I’ve always been too scared of losing her to risk making things weird between us. I guess I thought this way would be easier. Now there’s a part of her I’ll always have, even if it isn’t exactly what I wanted.”
“You’re toying with her whole life, Lucas. And now, not just hers...but a child’s, too. Your child. My niece or nephew. All because you’re too full of yourself to be vulnerable.”
I was quiet for a long time, not needing her to tell me any of this, of course. I didn’t need her help; I’d been beating myself up over it all enough on my own.
“I can’t be sure,” she continued, “but I think she might feel the same way. That’s why I came to talk to you. You and Victoria are two peas in a pod, alright. And you both seem to suck at sharing very important pieces of information and expressing your feelings.”
“What makes you think she feels the same way?”
“It was the look she had on her face when Jada told us how you felt.”
“Told us!? Wait. When Jada was blabbing about love...Victoria was there? She heard her saying all of this!? And does this mean Victoria told both of you she was pregnant!?” I flew into a panic, pacing around the office.
“Victoria let it slip about the baby by accident, and Jada had the good sense neither of you seem to have—which is that if you both have real feelings for each other...it changes everything about this arrangement.”
“Oh, great.” I blew out a sarcastic laugh. “So, in one brunch, Jada ran her mouth off about things that weren’t her business to tell, and Victoria told you both the one thing that she should have told me before anyone else. Jeez, what were you all drinking!? Some kind of fucking truth serum!?”
